The FMF Steel City National was an exciting one, as the huge crowd saw some excellent racing in all six motos of Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross. Here are ten things we learned at the race outside Pittsburgh that we can take into this weekend’s dramatic finale at the new Pala Raceway in San Diego County.
1.) Ryan Dungey is Not Perfect. After nine straight races of getting all of the right breaks, as well as being the fastest man on the track, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki's Ryan Dungey finally made a mistake, crashing on the opening lap of the first moto and losing his chance to win a tenth straight AMA Motocross race in the 450 Class. Ryan rebounded quickly, winning the second moto with ease, but his not winning was the second-biggest story of the day.
Ryan Dungey
2.) The Old Man Still Has it! The biggest story was the fact that Kevin Windham won another AMA Motocross race. A crowd favorite everywhere he goes, Windham has been racing the nationals in place of the injured Davi Millsaps, playing the substitute for Honda Red Bull Racing, which he last rode for a decade ago. When Dungey messed up in the first moto, Windham saw his chance to grab a win from the kids, and he did just that. His second-moto runner-up ride was enough to seal the overall and set off a wild celebration among the same Steel City faithful who saw K-Dub beat Ricky Carmichael way back in 1997!
Kevin Windham
3.) Canard Knows the Deal. For the fifth time in six races, Trey Canard emerged the winner in the 250 Class. However, he really couldn't do much celebrating, as he only gained six points on series leader Christophe Pourcel. Canard is now seven points down with two motos left to go. Not only does Trey have to win both motos at Pala to take the title, he has to see Pourcel finished worse than second in one moto. In other words, the GEICO Powersports Honda rider knows he's going to need some help.
4.) Pourcel is Patient. Pourcel, on the other hand, knows he can be patient and let the title come to him with some smart, fast racing. He was right behind Canard in both motos at Steel City, pushing the Honda rider all the way across the finish line in both motos. Any other rider might have panicked and made a mistake, but Pourcel is not the type of racer to risk it like that. If all goes according to plan at Pala this Saturday, he should ease himself into the championship.
5.) Brett Metcalfe Can Win.... It's just that somehow he hasn't. Yet another good shot at a first AMA Motocross win passed Metty by in the form of an inspired Kevin Windham. This time Metcalfe was out front in the first moto when he stalled his GEICO Powersports Honda, but he still managed to battle K-Dub to the finish. A poor start in the second moto thwarted his best shot at making Steel City his breakthrough race. But Metcalfe could leave with his head high: he's five points ahead of Andrew Short in the battle for second, and he still has one more race to get that first win: Pala.
Brett Metcalfe
6.) Ben Townley Can't Win. At least maybe not this year. The highly respected veteran of the Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs Honda team looked like he might be in the running for a win again at Steel City, only to get clobbered in the nose by a rock thrown up by Kevin Windham's rear wheel in the first 450 moto. His nose broken, Ben still gutted out a third, but then he crashed off the start in the second moto and that was that—another good shot at a win lost to bad luck. Townley may have to wait until next year for his terrible luck to change.
7.) JP is Money. They called Jessica Patterson “JP Money,” and she proved she was just that—JP$—with yet another win in the MotorcycleUSA.com Women's Motocross class. Patterson overcame yet another start crash in the first moto to finish second behind defending #1 Ashley Fiolek, then ran off with the second-moto win for her sixth overall win in seven rounds so far. The DNA Shred Stix/Star Racing Yamaha rider now only needs a decent moto at Pala to regain the crown she first lost to Fiolek in 2008. Smart money is on JP$ here.
8.) The Man is on The Move. Perhaps the biggest news at Steel City came in the pits, where it was learned that Roger DeCoster—the longtime boss at the Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team and the man who helped guide Ricky Carmichael, Chad Reed, and Ryan Dungey to AMA Motocross Championships—was leaving the brand for a new gig at KTM. It sent shockwaves through the paddock, as DeCoster is an icon in the sport. The Austria-based KTM is a growing force in the American motocross market, while some of the other OEMs are struggling in difficult economic times. This could turn out to be a huge deal as contracts come together for 2011 and beyond.
9.) Teammates Count. As the 250 Class title fight between Pourcel and Canard comes down to the last round, their respective teammates all have the speed to play spoiler. Pourcel is backed on the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team by national winners Tyla Rattray and Dean Wilson; Canard's got Eli Tomac, Justin Barcia, and Blake Wharton in his GEICO Powersports Honda corner. Any one of those guys could make all the difference in this championship fight. Pala should be epic.
Tim Ferry
10.) Farewell to Red Dog. Finally, the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross fraternity had the chance to say goodbye to one of its most respected members as the veteran Tim Ferry said farewell at Steel City after nearly twenty years of top-level racing. Ferry took a lap of honor with his son Evan riding shotgun, and the Steel City faithful gave Red Dog a fitting sendoff. We already miss you, Timmy—thanks for all the great memories!
